Utility transport (cargo) aircraft operated by civilian transportation companies, governmental agencies and air forces are sometimes required to perform a number of missions, including the transport of personnel and material in addition to providing an airborne search and/or observation platform, e.g., during territorial patrol operations, search and rescue (SAR) operations, emergency patrol missions and the like. The aircraft fuselage doors employed for transport and ingress/egress of personnel are typically dedicated doors that allow the aircraft to be pressurized, yet can be opened during flight at lower altitudes when the aircraft is depressurized to allow personnel (e.g., paratroopers) and/or supplies to be discharged from the aircraft. Dedicated aircraft fuselage doors however are typically unsatisfactory for airborne search and/or observation missions by virtue of their limited range of exterior visibility provided to on-board aircraft personnel.
Due to the increased field of vision that is provided to on-board aircraft personnel, observation doors (conventionally known as “bubble doors”) are typically employed for aircraft used for SAR and other observation missions. Although various types of aircraft are equipped with dedicated observation doors, it can sometimes be more desirable to provide an aircraft operator with the flexibility to replace a dedicated aircraft personnel door with a temporarily installed observation door when needed. One prior proposal for the temporary replacement of a dedicated aircraft fuselage personnel door with an observation door is disclosed by U.S. 2014/0077034 (the entire content of which is expressly incorporated hereinto by reference). One drawback of such a conventional temporarily installed observation door, however, is that it cannot readily be installed while the aircraft is in-flight and is relatively complex.
What has been needed in the art, therefore, are assemblies and methods by which a dedicated aircraft personnel door may be replaced temporarily and more readily with an observation door. It would also be especially desirable in terms of maximum mission flexibility if such aircraft door replacement could be achieved while the aircraft is in-flight. It is towards providing solutions to such needs that the embodiments disclosed herein are directed.